Zoethian One-shots
by Yumleethelimabean
Summary: One-shots about Rythian and Zoey, as the title suggests. Very fluffy. Warning: Read at your own risk. May explode your happy feels. Enjoy, and tell me if you want other one-shots like these.
1. Teep's Excellent Plotting

Teep didn't like sharing his tower with Zoey's bandmate Paul, So one night when Rythian went to his room, he found Teep fast asleep in his bed.

From then on Rythian and Zoey shared the main bedroom. The bed was huge, and they slept on opposite sides of the bed, so it wasn't weird.

But though they fell asleep far apart, when Zoey woke up some mornings she and Rythian would be sleeping right next to eachother, snuggled together. Soon she realized that that was only on mornings when she woke up first. If she woke up and Rythian was already awake, they'd still be far away. Apparently they naturally moved closer together as they slept. Pretty soon Zoey learned to move away if Rythian was still sleeping, to avoid weirdness. So they carried on as normal.

But when Zoey woke up in the middle of the night and found herself close to Rythian, she'd snuggle closer. At first he just shifted slightly, like he was still asleep, but after awhile when she would wake up and snuggle into him she'd feel his arms go around her. And so they slept like that until morning, when one of them would move away. Then they would carry on as usual, never mentioning it, acting normal.

But at night they'd sleep, happy because they were together, after everything that had happened, because that was all that mattered.


	2. Let Me Tell You a Story

**Sorry this is so late! I had no ideas, then I was out of town, and then I was dying of feels over the last episode of The Tekkit Rebirth. But here's a new one-shot. It's kinda short, just a cute idea I had while day dreaming. Hope you like it, please review!**

* * *

****"Grampa!" A little red haired girl ran into the room, grabbing Rythian's attention from the TV Zoey had finally convinced him to let her install. He looked up as she stopped in front of him. "I'm bored!"**  
**  
"Aren't you helping Grandma feed the mooshrooms?" He asked, looking out the window towards the farm.

"It was boring. Daisy and Sally were asleep and Nilesy J. R. kept walking away. Besides, Grandma kept talking on about computers again."

Rythian smiled. His and Zoey's daughter had followed after her mother in the field in science, but his granddaughter seemed more interested in magic, spending hours listening to him talk and watching him work. He got up and walked across the room to the window, looking outside at the beautiful day. "Why don't you play outside or something?" He suggested, amused when the six year old wrinkled her face in disgust. "It's boring out there. Everything is boring."

"Do you want to learn how to use a transmutation tablet?" The little girl was about to nod when a better idea came to her. "I wanna fly! Can I use a flying ring?"

Rythian shook his head. "Your mother would kill me. Maybe when you're older."

She plopped down on the couch with a dramatic sigh, crossing her arms. Rythian sat next to her. "Do you want to hear a story?"

She looked up. "What kind of story?"

"An interesting one. It has lots of magic and adventure."

"Alright." She said, settling comfortably on the couch.

"Okay," Rythian began. "Let me tell you a story... about a boy, and a girl, and a land of magic and monsters..."


	3. Of Course I Don't

_**Hey! Very late, as usual! I seem to get a new review on this story everyday saying stuff like, "It's so sweet!" "This is adorable!" "Please make more!"**_  
_**So, even though I was completely out of ideas, I figured I had to post something. They'll get better, I promise! This is kind of a prequel to Teep's Excellent Plotting. Review please, and I hope you enjoy! (I've implied that Rythian can understand what Teep's saying just by his eyes. Just pretend!)**_

* * *

He heard a voice talking, penetrating the silence that followed the battle. It grew louder as it grew nearer, calling out to "Teep" and commenting on the state of the castle. He knew that voice.

That voice, it was all that mattered. In that moment he felt more joy then he thought possible. But no. This had to be some kind of dream, something he was imagining. Yet the voice sounded so real. He wanted more than anything for this to be real, for that voice to be who he thought it was.

"Z-Zoey?" He called out in a wavering voice, not daring to believe it as he came to the edge of the roof and peered down.

It was her. It was really her. She looked different, with a yellow streak in her hair and tattoos on each arm. Her red hair tumbled loosely down her back, and her blue eyes sparkled behind her blingin' glasses.

Basically, she was beautiful.

"Rythian!" She said, and that moment he knew everything was okay. The castle was in ruin, but his life was intact once again.

The rest of the afternoon was a blur. She demanded to know what had happened to the recently damaged Blackrock Hold, and then declared that they were going to get back at the "Enderbabe". He just smiled and agreed as she continued talking.

* * *

Later, after Zoey had gone to bed and he was about to follow suit, Teep knocked on his bedroom door. When he opened the door the dinosaur stepped inside and fixed him with an accusatory stare.

"What do you want Tee?" Rythian asked. Teep continued to look at him. Rythian shook his head.

"No, of course I don't, that's completely ridiculous." Teep's eyes said he didn't believe him.

"Really, I swear! Why would I?" Teep glared at him. He continued to glare until Rythian sighed. "Alright, I like Zoey."

Teep growled.

"Fine, I love Zoey."

Teep rolled his eyes.

"What?" Rythian asked. Then, "No, of course I'm not going to tell her! have you lost your mind?"

Teep rolled his eyes again and pointed at Rythian.

"I don't care! I'm not doing something stupid like that!" Rythian said. Teep sighed like he was going to drop the matter, but as he turned to leave Rythian saw the message written in his eyes that this wasn't over. He watched as the dinosaur closed the door behind him and disappeared down the hall.

Teep rolled his eyes as he walked down the hall and towards the stairs. He had a lot of work to do.


	4. A World Without Zoey

**_I said this would be happy. I said it would be fluffy. I said it would explode your happy feels._**

**_I lied. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so, sorry._**

**_I think I cried while writing this, and I already knew what was going to happen._**

**_Again, I'm so, so, sorry..._**

* * *

Rythian heard Zoey's voice calling goodbye as he flew from the castle, but his throat was too dry to reply. He had a bad feeling about this, but he trusted Zoey. He had to trust her.

But as he flew away, he couldn't help but feeling that he would regret this for the rest of his life. Still, he kept flying. He flew, with Teep close behind, until they were far, far away.

But still close enough to hear the explosion.

* * *

Rythian had flown back as fast as he could, thinking that maybe, if he got here quick enough, he could save her. But he had known that was impossible. And now he was standing here, staring at the rubble of what used to be his home. Their home.

Suddenly something inside of him broke, and he began running through the destruction, yelling her name and digging furiously through the rubble. His searching became more and more frantic, his yelling becoming louder as he grew more panicked. He didn't know how long this went on before he realized it was pointless.

He fell to his knees and sat numbly for a second tears silently streaming down his cheeks. Then he dropped his head into his hands and sobbed as he realized she was gone, really gone this time, and she would never come back. Zoey had left him again, but this time it wasn't her fault. It was his fault for leaving her, for not trying to talk her into something safer. It was his fault that Zoey was dead.

He had never gotten to tell her how he felt. She died before he could tell her he loved her.

He didn't know how long he sat there and cried, only that when he lifted his head it was nearly sunset. He didn't want to get up because getting up meant accepting that this had really happened. He wondered if he could just stay like this forever.

That was when he heard a voice. The same voice that had made him come down from the roof to find her standing there, the same voice that told him she would come back, the voice that he loved so much.

"R-Rythian?"

He didn't dare believe it. He wouldn't let himself. It was just his imagination.

"Rythian?" The voice called again, and this time he looked up, half hoping with all of his heart that this was real, and half dreading the possibility that he would see nothing at all.

His eyes were blurry from tears, but he could make out a figure. Tattered cloth whipped around her form in the wind, and messy, burnt, fiery hair floated around her head like a halo.  
She looked like an angel.

"Rythian!" She shouted and began running towards him. He just watched her for a second, his mind not able to process what was happening. Then his mind snapped into reality and he realized it was Zoey, really Zoey, and she was alive.

And then he was running towards her, and she was flinging her arms around him, and he was pulling her close. And then before he knew what was happening, he was kissing her.

He suddenly realized what he was doing and pulled away, embarrassed. "Um, sorry, I..." He trailed off as Zoey smiled before leaning in and kissing him.

And then both were laughing and crying and holding eachother and Rythian knew that even with Blackrock crumbled to dust around him, his world was still intact.

* * *

Rythian opened his eyes, his head throbbing. He sat up groggily to find himself lying on a pile of broken basalt and marble bricks. He rubbed one hand across his eyes and felt the stickiness of dried tears there.

He looked around him, taking in the crumbled remains of Blackrock all around him. Then he looked down and his breath caught in his throat. He had been lying next to the broken body of Zoey, her blue eyes closed and her skin already ghostly pale. He struggled to remember what had happened.

He had heard the explosion and come back to find her already dead, broken and bleeding beneath the rubble.

He might've cried if he had anymore tears left. Instead he stood up, already growing numb. As he did so his dream came back to him, but the happiness was already fading, to be replaced by the pain that it wasn't real. Instead he faced this reality, the one that left Zoey lying broken on the ground, her body already growing cold, instead of Zoey alive and in his arms.

He stood and faced the east, towards the rising sun, ready to leave this place forever, though he knew that it would forever haunt his nightmares. And part of him would always be here, because Zoey was here, and she had stolen his heart. He would leave it behind with her, because she was the only reason he still had a heart.

He faced his new life. He would exact his revenge, and he would make Duncan pay for all he had did. He would make them all pay, every last one of them, because they had taken the only thing he loved away from him. They would all feel his kind of pain. This time there would be no distractions.

And as he thought this, the sun broke over the horizon, dawning on the beginning of his new world, a world without Zoey.


	5. A Perfect Day

_**I AM A MERCIFUL GOD! Here's a happy, fluffy, wonderful one-shot to mend your feels. I poured lots of love into it!**_  
_**Let's pretend the last part of my previous one-shot never happened, shall we? I think we've all learned a valuable lesson here: Don't look up the Zoethian tag on Tumblr unless you want to be hit by a ruthless, heart-wrenching tidal wave of feels that will fill your lungs and suffocate you, causing you to write extremely sad fanfiction. I learned that the hard way.**_  
_**Anyways, enjoy! Hope your feels weren't permanently damaged like mine! Review please!**_

_**(Got this idea from PeltyraTheMage. Thanks!)**_

* * *

Rythian awoke to find sunlight streaming through the window and Zoey curled up in his arms. She was still asleep, and he smiled as he looked down at her; she looked so peaceful that he could barely believe that anything could ever go wrong. He lay there and listened to her soft breathing until she woke up.

At last her big blue eyes fluttered open and she blinked at him sleepily. "Morning Rythian." The adorable redhead mumbled, and Rythian couldn't help leaning in and kissing her. "Morning Zoey." He smiled.

Zoey noticed the light coming in the window; It was the first sunny day in a while. "What time is it?" She asked.

"About 10 in the morning." Rythian said, sitting up. Zoey propped herself up too and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"You know what we should do today? We should go on a picnic." She said as the idea came to her.

Rythian laughed. "A picnic? Where?" He asked.

"You know, just somewhere around here. We could go down by the water in front of the castle, or up the hill a bit." Zoey replied, getting excited. Rythian shifted ever so slightly.

"Lets go up the hill. Water's, um, well, it, um, the lake could be flooded after all the rain we had these past few days." He said, desperately trying to come up with a reason to avoid water.

Zoey's eyes lit up. "No, I know! We can go to the lake where we first met!" She said.

"We didn't exactly meet there, we knew eachother before." Rythian reminded her.

"I know, but it was the first time we teamed up. If I hadn't fallen out of the sky right then, I wouldn't have ever become your apprentice or...anything else." Zoey blushed.

Rythian grinned and kissed her again. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Anyway, let's go there!" She said.

Rythian was about to protest when he stopped himself. _No. I won't let my Ender side ruin my day with Zoey._ "That sounds perfect." He said out loud.

The two got out of bed and dressed. Pretty soon Zoey had packed a picnic basket and Rythian had grabbed a blanket. The two set out for the lake.

Zoey skipped along, grabbing Rythian's hand and entwining her fingers with his. He rolled his eyes playfully at her excitement, but he couldn't help grinning at her.

They arrived at the small lake and Rythian spread the blanket out under a tree. Zoey plopped down on it and he followed suit, reaching out and taking her hand once more. They sat like that for a while, as neither of them felt like eating just yet. Zoey lay her head on his shoulder and stared at the lake, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"You know Baby Jim?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Mmhm." Rythian replied, sure she was going to go off about inanimate objects again.

"Do you think Baby Jim would be a good name for a person? Like if he was a human baby instead of a volcano baby?"

The question caught Rythian off guard. "Oh, well, maybe." He said.

"And what if Baby Jim was a girl? What would we have named him then?" Zoey asked

"I don't know. Why are you thinking about baby volcano names all of a sudden?" Rythian asked, slightly confused.

"Just wondering." Zoey shrugged, then, "Hey, I wonder if the water's warm enough to go swimming."

"Maybe. Why don't you go see?" He smiled at her, hoping she wouldn't ask him to come with her. No such luck.

"Will you come with me?" Zoey asked, and Rythian sighed inwardly. He hated to saying no to her. It wouldn't be that bad. He could go in water, it just burned a bit. He'd done it before. Besides, it would make Zoey happy.

"Okay." He smiled again, loving the way her face lit up. The two took off their shoes and went down to the water. Zoey waded in first, with Rythian following close behind, hiding the wince of pain at the burning sensation of the water. It was cool, neither warm nor were both wearing shorts, and the shallow water only went up to their knees, so Zoey waded out to almost the middle of the small lake.

"This is where I fell, remember?" She called to Rythian, who was still near the shore.

He nodded. "How could I forget?" He said, remembering the day when his life changed forever at the arrival of the beautiful, crazy girl. He smiled at the memories of everything they had gone through together, the good and bad. He remembered when she left, but also when she came back. He remembered the time he had thought she died when the nuke exploded, and been overjoyed when he found she was still alive. They had had fun rebuilding the castle, though they had both complained. Realizing how close she had come to death, he decided that nothing was more important than Zoey, and had given up on revenge so they could be safe and happy together.

He remembered the day he had finally gotten up the courage to tell her how he felt, only to find she had felt the same way all along. And now here they were, enjoying the bright, sunny day together at the lake, with nothing to worry about, no revenge schemes, no enemies, and all the time in the world. And it will be like this for the rest of our lives. Rythian thought.

His thoughts were interrupted by water being splash into his face. He was shocked to find it didn't burn like it usually did; on the contrary, it felt cool and refreshing. He didn't have much time to ponder this, though, as another wave of water hit him in the face. He quickly turned to face his attacker.

Zoey was laughing, getting ready to launch another attack. Before she could Rythian quickly splashed her, soaking her red hair and making her laugh even harder.

She splashed him back, and quickly dodged to the side as he tried to send a wave of water her direction. This continued on until Zoey won by tackling him, leaving them both sitting sopping wet in the shallow water.

"Fine, fine, you win. But it's not fair to attack someone when they're not looking." Rythian laughed. Zoey kissed him.

"There, we're even." She said, then helped him to his feet. The two technomancers made their way to shore, where the sat in the sun to dry off.

"Let's eat! I'm starving!" Zoey said, opening the picnic basket and bringing out two sandwiches, one vegetarian, one with meat. The two ate in silence, just enjoying the feeling of being near eachother. When they were done Zoey grabbed a cookie from the basket and lay down on her back, staring at the sky.

"This is like the classic perfect day, you know?" Zoey remarked. "A picnic by the lake, swimming, looking at the clouds..."

Rythian lay down next to her. "That one looks like a mushroom!" He joked, staring through the green leaves of the tree above them. Zoey was right; Everything was perfect. He would give up magic for everyday to be like this. Well, almost.

"I wish Tee were here right now." Zoey sighed. Teep had been spending more and more time at the Crooked Caber with Nilesy and Ravs. Rythian didn't mind. He didn't need anyone to protect Zoey anymore, and they still saw their dinosaur friend often. Plus, he kinda liked having Zoey to himself. He rolled over on his side to face her.

"You know, they say three's a crowd." He said, and Zoey rolled her eyes.

"I know, I know, you want me all to yourself, because I'm awesome." She grinned and he rolled over onto his back, chuckling.

Rythian thought about what had happened earlier, with the water. Was being around Zoey turning him into something more human? He remembered the time before he met her, and when she had left. His mind had been a lot darker then, his thoughts constantly occupied by revenge. Now he felt so different than he had then. He was carefree, he was _happy_. Zoey made him happy, but more than that, she made him human.

He realized by her slow, even breathing that she had fallen asleep. He turned on his side to look at her. She was so beautiful, so crazy, so talented. He loved her more than anything, and he was happy just to lie there and know that she was safe, that nothing was going to hurt her. He leaned over and kissed her forehead before taking out a book he had brought with him. For the rest of the afternoon he read and she dozed, both happy and content.

The sun was setting and Rythian was standing up and stretching, just about to suggest they pack up when Zoey stood up.

"Rythian...there's something I have to tell you," She began nervously.

"What?" He asked, concerned at the worried expression on her face.

"I, well, um...I'm pregnant."

Rythian stared at her in shock. "You're pregnant?" He repeated. Zoey nodded and his face broke into a huge grin. "Zoey, that's wonderful! That's amazing!"

"Isn't it?" She asked, and he laughed, sliding his arms around her waist and kissing her. She grinned at him and the two picked up their things and headed for home.

Rythian frowned as they left the lake. "We're not naming it Baby Jim."

* * *

_**Whew! That was long. Hope it helped! Oh no...MMMhh...help!...It's-mmmhhhh...call 911...the feels...they're here!.MMMMHHHh!~goes under~**_


	6. Alone in The Darkness

_**~What's this? Something on Tumblr about the Blackrock Chronicle coming back- OH MY GOD SHIT IS RISING OUT? CHECK RIGHT NOW. Oh, IT IS OUT! SHIT. SHIT. SHIT. WATCH IT NOW. NOW, NOW! **_

_**Herm, it's 24 minutes long, that's quite long actually- OH GOD DON'T PLAY THAT PART AGAIN...NO! SHE BLEW UP...NO, RYTHIAN DON'T AGREE TO A TRUCE...OKAY, HE'S ANGRY hee hee...Now he's over by the water- NO RYTHIAN STOP! STOP TALKING! NO DON'T DO THAT! STOP TALKING ABOUT HER! NO, THE FEELS! Wait, wait, Zoey! Zoey! Zoey's okay! ~Settles back to watch happily~**_

_***Ends* Must...FANFICTION!**_

_**-Me watching the Blackrock Chronicle Rising #1**_

_**Sooo, yeeaah.**_

_**This happened.**_

* * *

Rythian took a potion out of the chest and set it on the table. Picking up his journal, he scribbled something in it before returning to the crafting table, trying once again to create his old magical items. Nothing was working, and he had already determined that, yet he wouldn't stop trying.

He hadn't been able to sleep, so he had left Zoey asleep in the tent and come out to do some late night work. The old magics were still working, but none of the things that he had been using at Blackrock.

He was startled from his work by a panicked cry coming from the tent. He looked up in surprise, immediately cursing himself under his breath. He had left Zoey alone in the tent! Ever since the nuke went off, Zoey could barely stand to be alone, let alone in the dark. It reminded her of the nuke, when all the lights had gone off right before explosion, leaving her alone and helpless in the dark, knowing she was going to die.

She had survived, barely, but the fear was still there. Sometimes she would wake up in the middle of the night, and the fact that Rythian was there quickly calmed her down. But tonight he wasn't there. Rythian ran for the tent as Zoey's cries became more frantic. "Rythian! Rythian!"

Quickly opening the door, Rythian let his eyes adjust to the darkness, revealing a terrified Zoey sitting on her bed hugging her knees, tears streaming down her face. He hated seeing her like this, completely broken.

He moved to the bed and sat down beside her putting his arms around her. "Shh, Zoey, it's okay, I'm here, and we're just in the tent, see? There's nothing to be afraid of..."

Zoey slowly relaxed, nodding slightly and laying her head on his shoulder. He listened as her breathing became less frantic and slowed to normal. He held her until he he heard her breathing slow, becoming deeper as she fell asleep. Then he gently laid her back down and moved to his own bed.

Climbing into it, he looked over at Zoey once more, her face now peaceful as she slept. Closing his eyes, he silently promised to never leave her again.


	7. The Feels

Zoey Enderborn.

* * *

Yeah, just let the feels take over.


	8. Nightmares Again

_**Heeyy Yognau(gh)ts, Zoethian Shippers, those with too many feels that need some to be destroyed, and the like! Since the one-shot earlier didn't really suffice as an actual story (though it had the same effect) I thought I'd give you a real one. If you notice, in episode one of Rising Zoey and Rythian's beds are one block apart, but in episode two they are together, leading me to do much fangirling. So, yeah. Why do I feel the need to explain every story I write? Anyway, thank you to Wamu, who was a cheerleader for a brief period of time and cheered me up enough to write some shit! *Ahem* Sorry. Write some stuff!**_

* * *

He hadn't been able to sleep again. but he had stayed in the tent, content just to listen to Zoey's soft breathing as she slept. God, he was glad she was alright, safe, so close by. He never told her, but he often had nightmares about the nuke, dreams where he would wake up and look frantically towards her bed, terrified she was gone. Those times he wanted to go and wake her, to hug her and assure himself that he could keep her safe here, away from everything and everyone. But he couldn't worry her, so he would just lay in the darkness until her gentle breathing lulled him back to sleep.

"Rythian?" A soft voice whispered, rousing him from his thoughts. He turned to see Zoey peering at him from her bed.

"Zoey? What's wrong? Why are you awake?" He asked.

Zoey sat up, eyes focused intently on him, as if to ignore the darkness around her and push away the fear. She seemed okay, looking only slightly scared. "I'm fine. Just a dream."

"Was it a nightmare again?" Rythian asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah, but it's alright, only I was just wondering...well, you see, it's kinda cold in here and really dark, and I'm actually kinda scared, so, do you think maybe we could put the beds together? Just for tonight?" Zoey asked quickly.

Without hesitation Rythian nodded, secretly relieved that she would be closer; not only was he worried about her getting hurt, he hated it when she was scared.

Zoey stood up quickly, breaking the chest that stood between the two beds and placing her bed down next to his. Then she climbed in, fluffing her pillow a few times before lying down with her back facing Rythian.

Rythian felt much more secure with her here; it was funny how that worked out. If she was safe, it made him feel safe. His eyes slowly fluttered closed as he listened to her deep, even breathing that told him she was asleep. He had almost fallen asleep himself when he suddenly felt a face bury itself in his chest, fist curling in the fabric of his shirt. He opened his eyes.

"Zoey? What are you doing?"

Zoey lifted her head and looked up at him, fear evident on her face and tears welling in her eyes. Another nightmare. He smiled softly at her and kissed her forehead, his arms going around her. She relaxed, snuggling into his chest and slowly drifting off to sleep, Rythian following not long after.

Needless to say, neither one had nightmares. And they didn't move the beds apart the next day. Or the day after. Or at all.


	9. If Not For Losing Everything

**_Hey! 'Sup, you awesome Zoethian shippers? I'm a bit out of practice here, but I'm finally emotionally well enough to write again, so I give you this! I love you guys!_**

* * *

Fire.

Fire, everywhere. Burning.

That's all Rythian saw as he plummeted. All he felt, all he knew. Fire burning everything.

He had just enough time to catch a glimpse of the black tower as he fell, before he hit the ground with a sickening crunch, blood gushing from countless wounds as the bones in his shattered limbs and chest punctured through his skin.

Fire. He could smell his own flesh burning. Immense pain racked his body. Then everything went numb and all he could see was red. Before his vision faded completely he thought he saw two men, flying high above, locked in a battle. Then his heart stopped with one last panicked gasp, and his world went black.

His vision was still black, but the pain was gone. He sat straight up, panting, his heart racing. He was covered in sweat, and the blankets were tangled at his feet. As his eyes adjusted he saw that his pillow lay across the room.

He sat back, still breathing heavily. _It's been forever since I dreamed about the old world..._he thought as images from his dream flashed through his head, the memory of the fierce battle above reminding him just what had destroyed his old home. For a moment the old feeling of anger and need for revenge took him, but he quickly pushed it away. _You almost lost Zoey, all because of your revenge plans,_ he reminded himself.

Zoey. The one thing he had left, the only thing that mattered.

In the old world, he had everything. Dark Matter, Red Matter, all the power in the world. Until Duncan and Sjin destroyed it, leaving him in an unfamiliar world with nothing. He began building up his magic, collecting materials and re-creating his alchemical items, but there was still some sense of something missing, a feeling that always bothered him in the old world, though he had more power than he could dream of.

Then she fell out of the sky, an ally to help him get his revenge. He continue to build up his magic empire, but this time he had her by his side. And slowly, without him realizing it, the feeling that something was missing disappeared.

Then his castle, his home, got destroyed once again, but this time he wasn't injured. She was, and it made the fact that he had lost everything material seen insignificant and tiny. He healed her, but in doing so used all his power, leaving him with nothing.

Yet, she was still here.

He looked around the small tent, consisting of two beds right next to each other and a bookshelf. So different from Blackrock, and even more different from his mage tower. He had lost everything, so many times. But as he looked down, he saw Zoey curled next to him, fast asleep, and he remembered why he didn't feel such devastation as before.

He thought back to the old world, to his power and his magic and his weapons. He thought about how much he had, how much was stolen from him by the war.

And he decided he didn't want any of it.

If not for the old world blowing up, he realized, he would have never wanted revenge, and would have never met Zoey. And then where would he be? Somewhere, growing darker and more powerful, but all alone and consumed by his Ender side. So lonely.

He chuckled. He was almost...grateful to Duncan. If not for losing everything, he would have never found the most valuable thing in the world. And that, he decided, was worth more than a thousand mage towers, and much more than a nuke could ever destroy.


End file.
